Overtime Really Couldn't Have Gone Any Worse For Bruins In Game 2
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Over the course of 60 minutes on Wednesday night, the Blues largely controlled possession of the puck, were more eager to throw hits all over the ice, and by most standards were the better team. But being better doesn't always mean much in the game of hockey, and the Bruins were in position to steal a win that they perhaps did not fully deserve.
But then overtime happened. And the St. Louis Blues left no doubt.
With the fourth line on the ice to start overtime in a game tied 2-2, the Bruins won the opening draw. That would be the final positive for the home team in this game.
Alex Pietrangelo and Vladimir Tarasenko delivered hits on Joakim Nordstrom, before Colton Parayko landed St. Louis' first shot on goal 1:04 into the overtime period. The Bruins gained possession; the Blues took it away. Ryan O'Reilly fired a shot on goal, but missed wide. Joel Edmundson fired off a shot, but it missed wide as well. After some cycling, Sammy Blais landed a dangerous shot from the goalmouth on net, which Tuukka Rask saved, before Blais dumped David Backes to keep the ice tilted toward Boston's end.
With the Bruins in full-on drowning mode, the Blues didn't relent. Tyler Bozak's shot was blocked by David Krejci, but Robby Fabbri's hit on Connor Clifton helped ensure more possession for the visitors, leading to the sequence that ultimately ended this one.
That sequence began when Carlo tried to clear the zone by flipping a puck into traffic. With Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo bearing down on him, Carlo didn't get enough on the puck to get it out of the zone. Alexander Steen blocked the puck with his body and skated toward the net.
Carlo was out of position after absorbing a heavy hit along the half boards by Pietrangelo, so the D-man swiped his stick at Steen's skates to try to break up a 2-on-1 in tight on Rask. Carlo succeeded in that regard, but he also tripped Steen, thus drawing a penalty. Steen mustered a shot from his knees, and the Bruins could't gain possession, so play continued.
The puck trickled to the boards as Blues netminder Jordan Binnington broke to the bench for the extra skater. An Oskar Sundqvist one-time drive went wide, but the Blues were first to the loose puck, as the Bruins agonizingly chased and chased to no end.
Carl Gunnarsson put a shoulder-fake on Marcus Johansson to buy some space while retreating toward his own blue line, before sending a quick pass to O'Reilly that bought some time for the 6-foot-3 Pietrangelo to camp out in front of Rask.
O'Reilly returned the puck to Gunnarsson, who sent a one-time bomb around the screen from Pietrangelo. Rask never saw the puck as it whistled past him.
"Some of it was fatigue," Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said when asked about St. Louis' game-winning overtime sequence. "The breakdown to me was before that. Obviously we didn't manage the puck well, even the shift before. We just weren't able to get it out ... and it snowballed on us."
All told, the Blues generated four shots on goal and eight shot attempts while getting credited for five hits in the 3:51 of play in overtime.
During that same time, the Bruins generated zero shots on goal, zero shot attempts, and zero hits. After winning the opening faceoff, they spent the period chasing the puck, losing the puck, and then starting that cycle all over again. It was a lesson in drowning.
For the Blues, it was perfection, the culmination of some frustration from their struggles in Game 1 and their inability to take a lead in Game 2, despite outshooting their opponent and generating more chances. (Rask made 34 saves in Game 2, while Binnington was required only to make 21 saves for St. Louis.)
"I mean, it probably wasn't our best game today," Rask admitted after the 3-2 overtime loss. "I think that when you are -- especially in the playoffs -- the better team always wins. So they were the better team today."
Coyle, who was standing in the slot for that game-winning goal, agreed.
"I don't think our play was up to par with theirs, and you see that they get the result they earned," Coyle said.
As for the overtime, Rask could do little else but stand and watch, hoping to get a chance to cover the puck and give his team a much-needed whistle.
"Everybody's getting tired at that point," Rask said. "When there's no time to make any plays, you're just trying to catch your breath there as a five-man unit. We never really got to that point in the overtime. You're just trying to fight to see the puck and make that save and then maybe get a faceoff and hope that you can regroup."
Had the Blues lost this game, that frustration would no doubt have reached an unhealthy level. But instead of losing a game they felt they should win, the Blues went out and put on a clinic at a truly pivotal moment of their season.
As a result, they've got themselves a 1-1 series tie in the Stanley Cup Final. They certainly earned it.
You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.
